Charles goodyear



. strap common to all.

-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES GOODYEAR, JR., AND LEONARD A. SPRAGUE, OF NEN YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO CHARLES GOODYEAR, JR.

BUCKLE-FASTENING.

Specification forming parl of Letters Patent No. 42,726, dated May 10, 1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES GOODYEAR, J r., and LEONARD A. SPRAGUE, both of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lever Buckles; and we hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being h td to the accompanying drawings, in which- A, B, and G of the several figures represent, respectively, the top view, sectional elevation, and under side plan view of our improved buckle and various modifications thereof, said buckles being shown attached to a leather There are two kinds of lever-buckles. The oneis made in two partsviz., the frame and the lever-where the lever is rigidly fastened directly to the strap by means of rivets, the other being made in three parts-viz., the frame, the lever, and a metal strap, or rigid tail piece,77 by which the lever is attached or fastened to a leather strap or other object in such a manner that the lever of the buckle is, as it were, hinged upon the strap, so that while the tail-piece is rigidly fastened to the leather strap the lever ot' the buckle works loose in the loop formed by the bend in the strip of metal forming the tailpiece. y

The object of this improvement is to avoid and dispense with the rigid tailpiece, which is objectionable, and at the same time to retain the advantage of a hinge-fastening or fastening which will admit of thefree play or working of the buckle upon the object to which it is fastened.

In carrying our invention into effect we take, instead of the rigid tail-piece, a ilat loop or staple made of sheet metal, bent into the proper shape, which serves to connect the lever of the buckle directly with the leather strap or other object, or with a button or washer composed of sheet metal on the under l side of the leather strap or other object, the

staple passing around 'or inclosing the bar at the end of the tail of the lever, (which bar is either cast upon the lever or where the lever is made of sheet metal is formed by a slit made near the end of the tail of the lever.) and then directly through the object to which the buckle is to be attached. The two ends of the staple are then passed through the proper holes made to receive them in the button or washer and hammered down and clinched.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 represent buckles of similar construction fastened to a leather strap in various manners, but in accordance with the principle of this invention.

In Fig. l, f is the frame and Z the lever of a lever-buckle. The lever is composed of a piece of brass so doubled as to form the hinge h embracing the middle bar ofthe frame, upon which bar, as a pivot, the lever is caused to pla-y Within the frame to impin ge upon or release a strap, as the case may be. Into the tail of this lever a quadrangular hole is punched, leaving a bar, b, around which, and by passing through the hole, is bent a staple, s, made of a slip of flexible metal. The ends of 'the staple are now passed through a hole cut in any desired part of a strap, shoe, or other object, and bent over against the under side of the strap, shoe, &c., or against a washer, w, interposed for the better protection ot' the strap or object provided with the buckle. In Fig. 2 the lever is formed in a manner similar to the preceding one. The tail of the bent lever, however, is cut through the folded edge, which is formedby being bent over a piece of wire constituting the bar, over which a staple is clamped. The staple ends are passed through a hole in the leather strap and formed on the opposite side into a rivet, i'.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 3 differs from that represented in Fig. 1 in this: that both the leather strap or other object to which the buckle is fastened and the Washer have double apertures, so that the two branches of the staple, instead of both passing through one hole, may each pass through a separate hole.

In Fig. 4 the lever is bent over a wire, w, somewhat longer than the breadth of the buckle. The protruding ends are bent at right angles and passed through corresponding holes in the leather and then bent over to clamp on or clinch to the under side.

Fig. 5 shows a staple, s, provided with ears, which protrude through the leather from the under side thereof. These ears are perforated, so that a bar over which the lever is bent may engage in them and perform the function of a hinge to the buckle.

From the above it will appear that this invention is susceptible of many modifications, and we would, therefore, observe that We do not confine ourselves to any particular construction or arrangement ot' pirts, but wish to be understood as claimingl. The forming of a lever-buckle in such manner that the saine may be secured to leather straps or other articles by a direct hinge-joint attachmenti. e., without the intermediary ot' a connectinglstrap, as set forth.

2. The combination of lever-buckles, when composed of two parts, as set forth, with a hinge connection on the face of the strap, ap-

plied, as shown and described, so as not to intertere with the flexibility of the strap.

3. The method ofsecurin g or fastening leverbuckles to straps and other articles by means of staples or vtheir equivalent clamping or clinching devices, when the said staples or their equivalent clamping or clinching` devices constitute one of the elements of a hinge.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

GHAS. GOODYEAR, JR. L; A.' SPRAGUE. Witnesses:

J oHN R. MonHoUs, JAMES A. DoRR. 

